Netanyahu tells High Court it has no authority to intervene on firing of Ronen Bar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government argue in legal submissions to the High Court of Justice that the court does not have scope for judicial intervention over their recent decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar since who heads the agency is a matter of state security, a policy forum over which the court has traditionally refused to intervene.

The government’s submission also points out that Bar wrote a damning letter detailing numerous allegations against Netanyahu and the government, and argues that the court cannot force the prime minister and the government to work with a Shin Bet chief they do not trust.

The government further contends that Bar decided not to appear before the cabinet to rebut the claims against him and did not petition the court himself, arguing that previous court rulings have held that petitions by public groups regarding an individual who did not himself challenge the decision should not be heard.

The submission also argues against claims that Netanyahu and the government had a conflict of interest in firing Bar due to the Shin Bet’s ongoing investigation into allegedly unlawful ties between Netanyahu’s aides and Qatar, claiming that the investigation was initiated to thwart Bar’s dismissal.

The submission comes in response to petitions to the court by several political parties and government watchdog groups demanding an interim injunction freezing Bar’s dismissal. The court already issued a temporary injunction freezing the government’s firing of the Shin Bet chief, but an interim injunction would remain in place until the court makes a final decision.

A hearing has been set for the petitions for April 8, although the court may rule on the request for an interim injunction before that date.